Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-10-13
THE ISSUES.
The Questions Before the Voters
of Ohio.
SHALL THE PROTECTIVE TARIFF BE
ABOLISHED AND FRAUD AND
FORGERY IkOoRSEDl
The Position Of the Republican Farty.
The Campaign which Ii Now EngAE-
fnR Attenffou.

The Campaign which Ii Now EngaE-
ing Attention.
The campaign of 1887 is now fairly
opened and the people once more have
their attention directed to politics. The
situation in this county is well under
stood by intelligent citizens, and we fail
10 see any reason for advancing argu-
ments ON the county situation. The fact
is that there is no possible excuse for citi-
zens of this county voting any ticket ex-
cept the regular Republican ticket, and
we hope this fact is generally appreci-
ated Leaving the local situation out of
the question, there are this year the
best reasons why all intelligent citizens
should vote for Governor Foraker and
the whole Republican ticket. To any
one who asks the question, "What are
the issues of the present campaign it is
easy to answer-in fact, most people
themselves can answer tie question.
The Democratic party for the first time
in Ohio comes out boldly in opposition to
the protective tariff, and declares in favor
of tariff for revenue Only-that is, free
trade. Branch headquarters of the Demo-
cratic committee have been established
at Mansfield, where NJ. D. Harter has a
stock of free trade documents, which are
being sent to voters in all parts of the
state, in an endeavOr to work up free
trade sentiment in Ohio. The fallacies
of free trade have been so often and so
L
hardly necessary for Republican speakers
to make any arguments in support of the
system under which the great industries
of this country have been built up, and
employment furnished to thousands of
wOrkingmen, and the country has moved
onward in wealth, population, and every
branch of trade and manufacture.
Under protective tariff, farmers have
had home market for their products,
and competition between them has been
1essened by the fact that protection to
American capital and American labor
has diversified employment and set
thousands of men to working in other
fields, who, under free trade, would be
devoting their time to agriculture as this
would be about the only branch of in
dustry that could be profitably carried on
in the United States, and would soon be-
come Improbable through the lack of
market. The Democrats insist on fore
ing this issue this year, and they will be
given all they want of it, Mr.. Powell,
the Democratic candidate, with W. d.
Hill, Frank Hurd, NJ D. Harter and
other free traders, are openly proclaim
ing their enmity and hostility to the pro-
teetive tariff, and have secured the Sc
vices of several free traders to get up
campaign documents for them, while they
themselves are busily proclaiming from
the stump their opposition to the system
of protective tariff. This, then, is one
of the great issues before the people of
Ohio this year.
Another issue is that of forgery and
fraud as election methods. In 1885, when
Mr.. Powell was chairman of the Demo
cratic state executive committee, the
forging and changing of election returns
in Columbus and Cincinnati were, for the
first time, introduced into campaign
methods as a means of electing Demo-
cratic candidates. Without such criminal
methods as these there never would have
been any claim of Democratic majority
in the last senate. By the employment
of these methods Mr.. Powell claimed a
majority in the legislature, and is to this
day moaning and lamenting because JUS
tice overlook the offenders against the
laws of the state. Besides sending the
forgers to the penitentiary, the Repub-
licans succeeded in ousting from their
seats in the legislature the men who held
these seats as result of the forgeries.
Instead of the Democratic party rebuking
the forgery methods, it has indorsed them
by nominating 7. E. Powell, the man re-
sponsible for the campaign management
in which they were employed, as its can
didate for governor, and now asks the
people of Ohio to assist in indorsing such
methods by voting for him. This is a
subject which cannot receive too much
consideration from public speakers and
from the people
Another issue which Mr.. Powell is
quietly making is that raised by the Dow
law The people of Ohio, as a rule, are
satisfied with the Dow law, which taxes
and regulates the liquor traffic, and salts
fed to leave this question out of politics.
Mr.. Powell has paid emissaries out
through the state assuring those whose
support he thinks can be gained by such
assurance that if he is elected governor
the Dow law shall be destroyed as the
Scott law was by the Hoadly admistra-
ton. Many men interested in the liquor
business will not thank Mr.. Powell for
attempting to stir up this question, and
the temperance people, as a rule, are sat
isfied with the progress made in liquor
legislation, and Mr.. Powell's position on
this matter is not likely to become popu-
lar. For this reason he has so far avoided
reference to it on the stump, though
what he will do later it is impossible to
prophesy.
Another question which merits and
will receive great attention is the econom-
ical and business-like administration of
state affairs under Governor Foraker's
management. The expense of maintain
ing public institutions has been lessened,
without their usefulness being impaired.
The penitentiary has again been placed
on paying basis without the rights Of
free labor being interfered with Ex-
travagance in various other state depart
ments has been stopped. The city gov
eminent of Cincinnati has been taken out
of the hands of the f'boOdlers' and cor
ruptionists and placed in a position which
the honest people of Cincinnati appreciate
and applaud. Various other reforms
have been brought about in Governor
Foraker's administration
These the people Of Ohio are expected to
indorse at the polls; and 1t is on account
of this brilliant record Of Governor For
aker that the Democratic speakers, news
papers and candidates are now devOling
their whole time to abuse and misrepre-
sentation of him. His public acts have
been so much in the interests of the peO-
pie that they have been commended alike
by the Democratic and Republican news
papers, as well as by the whole people,
and the Democratic campaign managers
now see that unless they can deceive the
people regarding Governor FOrakers DO